Former India all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin slammed the team management over the use of star spinner Kuldeep Yadav after the T20I series against New Zealand. The Men in Blue won the five-match series 3-2.
Ashwin was perplexed by the fact that Kuldeep did not play a single game in the entire T20I series. Looking at how they benched him, he reckoned it would be a similar case in the upcoming ODI series as well.
“I will not be surprised if they don’t play him. He has to. But the way they are using him, it is quite crazy. If you have to take one spinner to South Africa, it has to be Kuldeep,” he said on ‘Ash ki Baat‘.
Ashwin also pointed out how Indian bowlers repeated the same mistakes throughout the series, giving an example of New Zealand batter Daryl Mitchell’s scoring areas. While Mitchell Santner turned out to be the highest wicket-taker of the series, he was upset with India not backing and trusting Kuldeep at all.
“94% of Daryl Mitchell’s runs have been on the leg-side. And if this was once, it’s fine. In five T20Is on the trot, India were not able to bowl wide. Let that sink in. This is international cricket. It is a big thing. I would be really concerned. The way they have used spinners as well. Mitchell Santner was the highest wicket-taker in his series. We have not backed Kuldeep at all. You can say he also got hit, but he is a confidence bowler. If he does not play, he will not give you the best possible result.”
It remains to be seen whether the wrist-spinner will feature in the playing XI in the ODIs. The series will begin on Wednesday, November 4, in Auckland. Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav are the two proper spinners in the ODI squad.
Ravichandran Ashwin on India’s big question about spin
In the same video, Ravichandran Ashwin also expressed that India needs to find a wicket-taking spinner if they do not want to back Kuldeep Yadav and Varun Chakaravarthy in overseas games. Varun, who returned from injury, also played just one match in the entire series.
“Varun has done well too. He did not play four games in this series. He is coming back from injury. How will you bring him back into form? He looked up and down, but that can happen after returning from injury. We need to get him back at his best. If that is not happening, what are your other options for spin? Who is your wicket-taking spinner?” he questioned.
Varun Chakaravarthy did not appear to be at his absolute best on his return. He bowled four overs and gave away 45 runs for just one wicket at an economy rate of 11.2.
Looking for fast live cricket scores? Download CricRocket and get fast score updates, top-notch commentary in-depth match stats & much more! 🚀☄️
Edited by Rishab Vm
